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''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening
television news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or telev ...
program for
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
, the news division of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
television network in the United States. First aired on August 3, 1970, the program is currently the second most watched network newscast in the United States, behind
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's '' World News Tonight''. ''NBC Nightly News'' is produced from Studio 1A at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Select
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
–based editions broadcast from The Brokaw News Center in
Universal City, California Universal City is an unincorporated area within the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Approximately 415 acres (1.7 km) within and around the surrounding area is the property of Universal Picture ...
, or when broadcasting from
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, either from the NBC News bureau based at
WRC-TV WRC-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Washington, D.C., airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned-and-operated station, owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Class A television se ...
in the
Tenleytown Tenleytown is a historic neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, D.C. History In 1790, locals began calling the neighborhood "Tennally's Town" after area tavern owner John Tennally. Over time, the spelling has evolved and by the 19th century th ...
neighborhood, or NBC's secondary studio overlooking
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
. Since 2015, the broadcast has been anchored by
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
on weeknights,
José Díaz-Balart José Díaz-Balart Caballero (born November 7, 1960) is a Cuban-American journalist and television anchorman. On September 7, 2021, Diaz-Balart stepped down as anchor of the weeknight editions of Noticias Telemundo. He is currently anchoring a n ...
on Saturday and
Kate Snow Kate Snow (born June 10, 1969) is an American television journalist for NBC News, serving as Senior National Correspondent to various NBC platforms, including ''Today'', ''NBC Nightly News'', ''Dateline NBC'', and MSNBC. Snow also anchors the Sund ...
on Sunday. Previous anchors have included
John Chancellor John William Chancellor (July 14, 1927 – July 12, 1996) was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in TV news. He served as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' from 1970 to 1982 and continu ...
,
David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997. From 1956 through 1970, he co-anchored NBC's top-rated nightly news program, '' The Huntley–Brinkl ...
,
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
and
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
. The program is broadcast live over most NBC stations from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...
seven days a week; the "Western Edition" of the program occasionally features breaking news and/or updated information on news stories covered during the original telecast for
Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00) ...
viewers, and some stations in that time zone carry it live at 3:30 p.m. PT to lead into their late afternoon local news blocks. Its current theme music, " The Mission" (which debuted in 1985) was composed by
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
.


History


John Chancellor and David Brinkley (1970–1982)

''NBC Nightly News'' replaced ''
The Huntley–Brinkley Report ''The Huntley–Brinkley Report'' (sometimes known as ''The Texaco Huntley–Brinkley Report'' for one of its early sponsors) was an American evening news program that aired on NBC from October 29, 1956, to July 31, 1970. It was anchored by Chet ...
'' in August 1970 upon
Chet Huntley Chet is a masculine given name, often a nickname for Chester (given name), Chester, which means ''fortress'' or ''camp''. It is an uncommon name of England, English origin, and originated as a surname to identify people from the city of Chester, En ...
's retirement. At first,
David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997. From 1956 through 1970, he co-anchored NBC's top-rated nightly news program, '' The Huntley–Brinkl ...
,
John Chancellor John William Chancellor (July 14, 1927 – July 12, 1996) was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in TV news. He served as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' from 1970 to 1982 and continu ...
, and Frank McGee rotated duties as anchors. At least one, usually two, and very rarely all three anchored the program on a given night. Except for the few nights when one of the men solo anchored, each evening's program included one
anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...
based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and one in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, as had been the case on the ''Huntley-Brinkley Report''. Brinkley's appearances were always from Washington and McGee's were always from New York. Chancellor moved between those two cities depending on his partner for the evening. In addition to Brinkley as a holdover from the ''Huntley-Brinkley Report'', McGee had earned praise for his anchoring or co-anchoring of space flights, and Chancellor had also earned praise as McGee's co-anchor for the space missions of
Apollo 12 Apollo 12 (November 14–24, 1969) was the sixth crewed flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, by NASA from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Commander Pete Conra ...
and
Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...
. With network executives perceiving the instability of this arrangement as a factor in ''Nightly News'' losing
audience An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
share to the ''
CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featuring news reports, feature s ...
'', NBC discontinued the rotation arrangement, and McGee eventually took over for
Hugh Downs Hugh Malcolm Downs (February 14, 1921July 1, 2020) was an American radio and television broadcaster, announcer and programmer; television host; news anchor; TV producer; author; game show host; talk show sidekick; and music composer. A regular t ...
as host of ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
''. Chancellor became the sole anchor of the program on August 9, 1971, with Brinkley providing a three-minute commentary segment, "David Brinkley's Journal," from Washington several times a week. On June 7, 1976, NBC brought Brinkley back to the anchor desk and tried the dual-anchor approach once again. Initially, Chancellor and Brinkley both reported from New York City, however Brinkley would later return to Washington. Chancellor again became sole anchor of ''Nightly News'' on October 10, 1979, with Brinkley once again providing commentaries until he left NBC for
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
in 1981, where he became host of that network's new Sunday morning interview show '' This Week''. Despite the various changes, Chancellor was never able to break the grip that
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
and the ''CBS Evening News'' had on the American news viewer, although ''Nightly News'' was sometimes a strong second place in the evening news ratings for most of the 1970s. After stepping down from the anchor desk on April 2, 1982, Chancellor remained on the program as an editorial commentator until his retirement in 1993.


Tom Brokaw (1982–2004)

On April 5, 1982,
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
, who had been serving as anchor of ''Today'' since 1976, joined the program and took over co-anchor duties in New York City, while
Roger Mudd Roger Harrison Mudd (February 9, 1928 – March 9, 2021) was an American broadcast journalist who was a correspondent and anchor for CBS News and NBC News. He also worked as the primary anchor for History (U.S. TV channel), The History Channel. ...
became anchor in Washington. Mudd was dropped from the broadcast and Brokaw became the solo anchor of ''Nightly News'' on September 5, 1983, the same day that his ABC competitor,
Peter Jennings Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-born American television journalist who served as the sole anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. He dropped o ...
, became sole anchor of '' World News Tonight''. With Brokaw being the sole anchor, the ''Nightly News'' was now completely based in New York City. Among other news items, he covered the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster,
EDSA Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...
, Loma Prieta earthquake, the fall of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, and
Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...
. As anchor, Brokaw conducted the first one-on-one American television interviews with Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
and
Russian President The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. He was the only network anchor in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
when the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
fell. Brokaw's presence slowly attracted viewers, and during the 1990s, ''Nightly News'' battled for the viewership lead with ''World News Tonight''. He and
Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
hosted a prime-time
newsmagazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...
, ''
Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric ''Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric'', shortened to ''Now'', is an American news magazine that aired on NBC from 1993 to 1994. It was hosted by Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric. The show was eventually merged into ''Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' ...
'', that aired from 1993 to 1994 before being folded into the multi-night ''Dateline NBC'' program. By 1997, ''NBC Nightly News'' had solidified its first place standing in the ratings, a spot it would retain solely for ten years. The once-dominant ''CBS Evening News'', anchored by
Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hurr ...
, had lost a substantial portion of the audience it held during the Walter Cronkite era and slid to third place (where it still remains as of 2017) in the viewership wars. On September 11, 2001, Brokaw joined
Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
and
Matt Lauer Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...
around 9:30 a.m., following the live attack on the South Tower of the
World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
, and continued to anchor all day, until after midnight. Following the collapse of the second tower, Brokaw said: On May 28, 2002, Brokaw announced his retirement as anchor of ''Nightly News'', to take effect shortly after the Presidential election in 2004. During this last time helming the network's Presidential election coverage, NBC graphic designers created images of a giant electoral map on the ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza, and
cherry picker An aerial work platform (AWP), also known as an aerial device, elevating work platform (EWP), cherry picker, bucket truck or mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment t ...
s tallied the electoral vote count on the façade of
30 Rockefeller Plaza 30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66 ...
(this tradition has continued with each election since then). Brokaw's final broadcast took place on December 1, 2004, ending 22 years on the ''Nightly News'' desk and a 21-year run as the network's chief newsman – a record tenure in NBC's history.


Brian Williams (2004–2015)

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
, a frequent substitute for Brokaw for ''NBC Nightly News'', succeeded him as the program's permanent anchor on December 2, 2004. The program held onto the #1 ratings spot among the network evening newscasts from Williams' first day, averaging about 10 million viewers each week until February 2007, when it slipped behind its closest competitor ''World News with Charles Gibson''. However, ''NBC Nightly News'' regained the lead a few months later; it has now been America's most-watched evening newscast for over a decade. Williams rose to new levels of popularity for his live spot reporting during and after the 2005 hurricane season. With the transition to Williams, the show recognized its past in its opening seconds, with small photos of past anchors and sets and the voices of
John Cameron Swayze John Cameron Swayze (April 4, 1906 – August 15, 1995) was an American news commentator and game show panelist during the 1940s and 1950s who later became best known as a product spokesman. Early life Born in Wichita, Kansas, Swayze was the ...
, Huntley, Brinkley, Chancellor, and Brokaw, as well as an orchestral version of the "G-E-C"
NBC Chimes The NBC chimes are a sequence of three tones played on National Broadcasting Company (NBC) broadcasts. Originally developed in 1927 as seven notes, they were standardized to the current three-note version by the early 1930s, and possibly as early ...
serving as an intro bumper, before going into the opening headlines summary read by Williams; this montage was discontinued on September 17, 2007. On December 4, 2006, ''Nightly News'' was presented with "limited commercial interruptions" through a sponsorship arrangement with
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
, marking the first time in its 36-year history that the newscast experimented with reduced advertising. During Williams' tenure as main anchor of the program,
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
and
Kate Snow Kate Snow (born June 10, 1969) is an American television journalist for NBC News, serving as Senior National Correspondent to various NBC platforms, including ''Today'', ''NBC Nightly News'', ''Dateline NBC'', and MSNBC. Snow also anchors the Sund ...
often substituted while he was on vacation or on assignment; other substitute anchors included
Savannah Guthrie Savannah Clark Guthrie (born December 27, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist and attorney. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News, morning show ''Today'', a position she has held since July 2012. Guthrie joined NBC News in September 2 ...
,
Tamron Hall Tamron Hall (born September 16, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist and television talk show host. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award. Hall was formerly a n ...
, Harry Smith, Jenna Wolfe,
Erica Hill Erica Ruth Hill-Yount is an American journalist who works for CNN. She serves as a primary substitute anchor and a correspondent. She co-anchored ''Weekend Today'' from 2012 to 2016, following work at CBS since 2008. Personal life Hill was b ...
,
Hoda Kotb Hoda Kotb ( ; arz, هدى قطب, ''Hudā Quṭb''; ; born August 9, 1964) is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show ''Today'' and co-host of its entertainment ...
, Natalie Morales and
Carl Quintanilla Carl Quintanilla (born September 10, 1970) is an American journalist and co-anchor and anchor, respectively, of ''Squawk on the Street'' and ''Squawk Alley'', morning programs on CNBC. Early life and education Quintanilla was born in Midland, Mi ...
, as well as now-former NBC anchors
Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, S ...
, Campbell Brown, David Gregory,
Amy Robach Amy Joanne Robach (born February 6, 1973) is an American television reporter for ABC News. She is the co-anchor of ''20/20'' and the breaking news anchor/fill-in anchor for '' Good Morning America''. She was a national correspondent for NBC N ...
,
Peter Alexander Peter Alexander may refer to: * Pete Alexander (born Grover Cleveland Alexander; 1887–1950), American baseball player * Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar) (1893–1969), professor of English language and literature at the University of Glasgo ...
, and
John Seigenthaler John Lawrence Seigenthaler ( ; July 27, 1927 – July 11, 2014) was an American journalist, writer, and political figure. He was known as a prominent defender of First Amendment rights. Seigenthaler joined the Nashville newspaper ''The ...
. ''NBC Nightly News'' began broadcasting in high definition on March 26, 2007, becoming the first of the three network evening news programs to make the transition (the ''
CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featuring news reports, feature s ...
'' began broadcasting in HD on January 7, 2008; ''
ABC World News Tonight ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program of ABC News, the news division ...
'' began broadcasting in HD on August 25, 2008, during its coverage of the
2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...
). Most news video from on-remote locations continued to be shot in
standard definition Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
at the time, while the network's news bureaus underwent a conversion to HD, which was completed in 2009. The ''Nightly News'' set in Studio 3C, which had been in use since January 27, 1992, was retired on May 4, 2007. The broadcast temporarily relocated to Studio 8G on the same set as of May 8, 2007 used for the studio segments seen during the network's '' Sunday Night Football'' broadcasts and its
pregame show A pre-game, pregame, or pre-match show is a television or radio presentation that occurs immediately before the live broadcast of a major sporting event. They typically feature previews and analysis relating to upcoming games (either a larger fixt ...
, and where NBC's 2006 Congressional election coverage originated. After months of construction, Studio 3C was re-opened on October 22, 2007, with the introduction of a new set for ''Nightly News''; sister cable network
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
's new set in Studio 3A was also inaugurated at that time. On October 24, 2011, the broadcast moved to Studio 3B, which also served as the homebase of Williams' short-lived newsmagazine for NBC, '' Rock Center''.


Embellishment scandal/suspension and replacement

On February 4, 2015, Williams apologized on the program for having “conflated” on numerous occasions an account that he had been aboard a
Chinook helicopter The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name ...
shot down by enemy fire from a
rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...
while covering the
Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Ba'athist Iraq, Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one mont ...
in 2003, when he was in fact aboard a helicopter that followed behind it. This came after he received criticism by U.S. soldiers for embellishing the story when a segment from the January 30, 2015 broadcast recounting the incident was posted on the program's
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page. The revelation spurred negative press towards Williams, including some asking for him to be fired by NBC News, although
Paul Rieckhoff Paul (P.J.) Rieckhoff is an American writer, social entrepreneur, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He is the president oRighteous Media Incand the host of thIndependent Americans podcast Prior to that, he was the ...
, founder of
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) veterans organization founded by Paul Rieckhoff, an American writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He ser ...
, stated that “persecuting illiamsover this mistake will do little to help our veterans and service members”. Amid that controversy and questions over Williams' claims that made regarding his experiences while reporting from
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
on the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
in August 2005, including that he contracted
dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
from accidentally ingesting flood water, the news division decided to launch an internal investigation into the matter that would be conducted through its investigative unit. On February 7, 2015, Williams stated in a memo to NBC News staff that he would take himself "off the daily broadcast for the next several days," with Lester Holt substituting for him on the weeknight broadcasts. On February 10, 2015, Williams was suspended without pay for six months due to the scandal which arose after he came under fire for fabricating a story about his reporting on the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. Williams claimed to have been reporting in Iraq in 2002 when the helicopter he was traveling on was hit by an RPG and he was forced to land. He had told the story several times, including his appearances on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' and on ''Nightly News'' itself only a few nights before several war veterans who had been with Williams in 2002 claimed that Williams had not been present at the time of the crash, but showed up about an hour later to report on it. Williams issued an apology, saying he had "misremembered" the story in his head and it had been a genuine accident, but many critics accused Williams of fabricating the story and called for his resignation. Williams later announced that he would be taking some time off because he had become "too much a part of the news." NBC announced that weekend anchor
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
would anchor the program in the interim.


Lester Holt (2015–present)

On June 18, 2015,
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
and
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
chairman Andrew Lack announced that
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
would become the main anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' on a permanent basis effective on June 22, 2015 (Holt was on a scheduled vacation on the day of the announcement, with ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' presenter
Savannah Guthrie Savannah Clark Guthrie (born December 27, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist and attorney. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News, morning show ''Today'', a position she has held since July 2012. Guthrie joined NBC News in September 2 ...
serving as interim anchor of the broadcast that week). After his suspension ended in August,
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
was reassigned to MSNBC where he previously served as both an anchor and correspondent. Holt previously served as interim anchor of the weeknight broadcasts from August 6, 2013 to September 2, 2013 when Williams went on medical leave from NBC News in order to undergo
knee replacement Knee replacement, also known as knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve pain and disability, most commonly offered when joint pain is not diminished by conservative sources a ...
surgery. With his promotion to main anchor, Holt is the first African-American solo weeknight anchor of a major network newscast.
Max Robinson Maxie Cleveland "Max" Robinson, Jr. (May 1, 1939 – December 20, 1988) was an American broadcast journalist, most notably serving as co-anchor on ''ABC World News Tonight'' alongside Frank Reynolds and Peter Jennings from 1978 until 1983. Robi ...
was co-anchor of ABC's ''World News Tonight'' from 1978 to 1983, and
Gwen Ifill Gwendolyn L. Ifill ( ; September 29, 1955 – November 14, 2016) was an American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program ...
was a co-anchor of the ''
PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virg ...
'' from 2013 to 2016. On June 27, 2016, ''NBC Nightly News'' switched to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation, with the existing graphics package being re-positioned for the 16:9 format. On October 10, 2016, the newscast debuted an entirely new on-air look with graphics originally optimized for the full 16:9 presentation, including a new program logo replacing variations of the previous one that had been used since November 8, 1999. On July 14, 2017, ''NBC Nightly News'' permanently moved back from Studio 3B to Studio 3C. On August 11, 2021, it was announced that executive producer Jennifer Suozzo would be departing the program and Meghan Rafferty would be interim executive producer on August 16, 2021. On September 13, 2021, ''NBC Nightly News'' permanently moved from Studio 3C to Studio 1A, also the home of ''Today''.


Weekend editions

NBC first offered a Saturday evening newscast in 1961, with
Sander Vanocur Sander Vanocur (; born Alexander Vinocur, January 8, 1928 – September 16, 2019)
Retr ...
anchoring the ''NBC Saturday Night Report''. Four years later, NBC correspondents Ray Scherer and
Robert MacNeil Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil, OC (born January 19, 1931) is a Canadian-American journalist and writer. He is a retired television news anchor who partnered with Jim Lehrer to create ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Report'' in 1975. Early life and ed ...
were partnered at the anchor desk on ''The Scherer-MacNeil Report'' on Saturdays, continuing until 1967. At that time, the network replaced it with a second weekend airing of ''The Frank McGee Report'', which had been airing on Sundays for several years by that point. The Saturday edition of the ''Report'' ran for about a year and a half. On January 4, 1969, the ''Huntley-Brinkley Report'' was expanded to Saturday evenings, with the main anchors working solo on alternating weeks. When lower-than-expected ratings occurred, the network pulled the pair off Saturdays and assigned others such as McGee and Vanocur to anchor the broadcast. On August 2, 1970, two days after the weekday ''Huntley-Brinkley'' broadcast ended, the network expanded its evening newscast to Sundays, which also replaced the Sunday broadcast of ''The Frank McGee Report''. For the first year after the Sunday broadcast began, Chancellor, Brinkley and McGee rotated on the program as they did on weeknights; there were no separate weekend anchors. The Saturday and Sunday broadcasts were respectively titled ''NBC Saturday Night News'' and ''NBC Sunday Night News'' until sometime in the 1970s, when they adopted the ''NBC Nightly News'' name. When Chancellor became sole anchor of the weeknight editions in August 1971, separate anchors were named for the weekend editions. The weekend editions may occasionally be abbreviated or preempted due to
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
telecasts (such as
golf tournaments Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wit ...
, Notre Dame football games,
NASCAR Races The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
and Thoroughbred Racing tournaments) that overrun into the program's time slot. During NFL Season, the Sunday editions air live in every time zone at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, immediately prior to ''
Football Night in America ''Football Night in America'' (''FNIA''), branded for sponsorship purposes as ''Football Night in America served by Applebee's'', is an American pre-game show that is broadcast on NBC, preceding its broadcasts of Sunday night and postseason Natio ...
'' and ''
NBC Sunday Night Football ''NBC Sunday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''SNF'') is an American weekly television broadcast of National Football League (NFL) games on NBC and Peacock in the United States. It began airing on August 6, 2006, with the Pro Football Hall of Fa ...
''.


Kids edition

In April 2020, NBC News began producing a version of ''NBC Nightly News'' targeted at children ages 6 to 16, featuring stories aimed at children. This edition is hosted by Lester Holt and new episodes premiere every Thursday on NBC News' YouTube channel. Beginning on October 31, 2020, occasional editions of ''NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition'' have aired on Saturdays on NBC.


''Nightly News'' anchors


Weekdays

The following are people who have been the principal news anchors for the NBC television network's flagship weekday evening-news program, titled since 1970 as ''NBC Nightly News'', as well as its predecessor programs. *
John Cameron Swayze John Cameron Swayze (April 4, 1906 – August 15, 1995) was an American news commentator and game show panelist during the 1940s and 1950s who later became best known as a product spokesman. Early life Born in Wichita, Kansas, Swayze was the ...
– February 16, 1948 – October 26, 1956 (''
Camel News Caravan ''The Camel News Caravan'' or ''Camel Caravan of News'' was a 15-minute American television news program aired by NBC News from February 16, 1949 to October 26, 1956. Sponsored by the Camel cigarette brand and anchored by John Cameron Swayze, i ...
'') *
Chet Huntley Chet is a masculine given name, often a nickname for Chester (given name), Chester, which means ''fortress'' or ''camp''. It is an uncommon name of England, English origin, and originated as a surname to identify people from the city of Chester, En ...
and
David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997. From 1956 through 1970, he co-anchored NBC's top-rated nightly news program, '' The Huntley–Brinkl ...
– October 29, 1956 – July 31, 1970 ('' Huntley-Brinkley Report'')Both anchored six days a week during early 1969. *
John Chancellor John William Chancellor (July 14, 1927 – July 12, 1996) was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in TV news. He served as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' from 1970 to 1982 and continu ...
, Frank McGee and Brinkley – August 3, 1970 – August 13, 1971Chancellor, McGee, and Brinkley rotated seven days a week. * Chancellor – August 16, 1971 – June 4, 1976 * Chancellor and Brinkley – June 7, 1976 – October 9, 1979 * Chancellor – October 10, 1979 – April 2, 1982 *
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
and
Roger Mudd Roger Harrison Mudd (February 9, 1928 – March 9, 2021) was an American broadcast journalist who was a correspondent and anchor for CBS News and NBC News. He also worked as the primary anchor for History (U.S. TV channel), The History Channel. ...
– April 5, 1982 – September 2, 1983 * Brokaw – September 5, 1983 – December 1, 2004 *
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
– December 2, 2004 – February 6, 2015 *
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
– February 9, 2015 – present (interim until June 22, 2015)


Weekends

Weekend anchors have included the following: *
Garrick Utley Clifton Garrick Utley (November 19, 1939 – February 20, 2014) was an American television journalist. He established his career reporting about the Vietnam War and has the distinction of being the first full-time television correspondent coverin ...
(weekends, 1971–1973 and 1990–1993, Sundays, 1987–1990) *
Tom Brokaw Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
(Saturdays, 1973–1976) *
Floyd Kalber Floyd Kalber (December 23, 1924 – May 13, 2004) was an American television journalist and anchorman, nicknamed "The Big Tuna." Life and career Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent two years in the army during World War II and began his television ...
(Sundays, 1973–1975) *
Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' ...
(Sundays, 1975–1976) *
Cassie Mackin Catherine Patricia "Cassie" Mackin (August 28, 1939 – November 20, 1982) was a pioneer woman journalist in United States television network In the early 1970s, she anchored a WRC-TV newscast and in 1972 became NBC's first female correspondent t ...
(Sundays, 1976–1977) * John Hart (Saturdays, 1976–1977, Sundays, 1977–1982) *
Jessica Savitch Jessica Beth Savitch (February 1, 1947 – October 23, 1983) was an American television journalist, best known for being the weekend anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' and daily newsreader for NBC News during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Savi ...
(Saturdays, some Sundays, 1977–1983) *
Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...
(Sundays, some Saturdays, 1980–1982) *
Connie Chung Constance Yu-Hwa Chung (born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist. She has been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow ...
(Saturdays, 1983–1989) *
Chris Wallace Christopher Wallace (born October 12, 1947) is an American broadcast journalist. He is known for his tough and wide-ranging interviews, for which he is often compared to his father, ''60 Minutes'' journalist Mike Wallace. Over his 50-year care ...
(Sundays, 1982–1984, 1986–1987) *
John Palmer John Palmer may refer to: People Politicians * John Palmer (fl. 1377–1394), English politician * Sir John Palmer, 5th Baronet (1735–1817), British politician * John Palmer (1785–1840), U.S. congressman from New York * John Palmer (1842–19 ...
(Sundays, 1984–1986, 1996) *
Maria Shriver Maria Owings Shriver (born November 6, 1955) is an American journalist, author, a member of the Kennedy family, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. She was married to ...
(Saturdays, 1989, Sundays, 1990) *
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
(weekends, 1993–1999) *
Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, S ...
, Deborah Roberts,
Elizabeth Vargas Elizabeth Anne Vargas (born September 6, 1962) is an American television journalist who is the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks, and the host for Fox's revival of '' America's Most Wanted''. She began her new positi ...
(Sundays, 1993–1995) *
Giselle Fernández Giselle Fernández (born May 15, 1961) is an American television journalist and anchor for Spectrum News 1. Her appearances on network television include reporting and guest anchoring for ''CBS Early Show'', ''CBS Evening News'', ''Today'', and ...
(Sundays, 1995–1996) * Bob Kur,
Chris Hansen Christopher Edward Hansen (born September 13, 1959) is an American television journalist and YouTube personality. He is known for his work on ''Dateline NBC'', in particular the former segment ''To Catch a Predator'', which revolved around catc ...
,
Chris Jansing Christine Ann Kapostasy-Jansing (born January 30, 1957) is an American television journalist. She anchors ''Chris Jansing Reports'' airing from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET weekdays on MSNBC, having replaced ''MTP Daily'' in May 2022. Jans ...
,
Chuck Scarborough Charles Bishop Scarborough III (born November 4, 1943) is an American television journalist and author. Since 1974, he has been the lead news anchor at WNBC, the New York City flagship station of the NBC Television Network, and has also appeared ...
, Jack Ford,
Jodi Applegate Jodi Applegate (born May 2, 1964)"Anchor Jodi Applegate Shares a ...
, Len Cannon,
Maurice DuBois Maurice DuBois (born August 20, 1965) is an American television anchorman for WCBS-TV in New York City and the CBS network. Early life and education DuBois was born on Long Island, New York, the son of immigrants to the U.S. from Dominica, an ...
,
Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, S ...
, Dawn Fratangelo,
Kelly O'Donnell Kelly O'Donnell (born May 17, 1965) is an American journalist. She is a political reporter for NBC News as White House and Capitol Hill correspondent. She appears on ''NBC Nightly News'', ''Today'', ''Meet The Press'', and MSNBC. Background O ...
,
Faith Daniels Faith Daniels (born March 9, 1957) is an American television news anchor, reporter, and talk show host. Early life Daniels was born to an unwed mother and lived eight months in a Catholic orphanage before being adopted by Steven A. Skowronski, a ...
,
Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...
, Sara James,
Fredricka Whitfield Fredricka Whitfield (born May 31, 1965) is an American journalist and news anchor. She anchors the weekend edition of ''CNN Newsroom'' from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, and she is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for CNN's At This Hou ...
,
Soledad O'Brien María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien (born September 19, 1966) is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer. Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for ''Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien,'' a nationally syndicated weekly talk show ...
(Sundays, 1996–1999) *
John Seigenthaler John Lawrence Seigenthaler ( ; July 27, 1927 – July 11, 2014) was an American journalist, writer, and political figure. He was known as a prominent defender of First Amendment rights. Seigenthaler joined the Nashville newspaper ''The ...
(Sundays, 1996-1999, weekends, 1999–2007) *
Lester Holt Lester Don Holt Jr. (born March 8, 1959) is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''Dateline NBC''. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of ''NBC Nightly News'' following the ...
(weekends, 2007–2015) *
Kate Snow Kate Snow (born June 10, 1969) is an American television journalist for NBC News, serving as Senior National Correspondent to various NBC platforms, including ''Today'', ''NBC Nightly News'', ''Dateline NBC'', and MSNBC. Snow also anchors the Sund ...
(Saturdays, fill-in anchor, June 20, 2020—present, Sundays, October 4, 2015—present) *
José Díaz-Balart José Díaz-Balart Caballero (born November 7, 1960) is a Cuban-American journalist and television anchorman. On September 7, 2021, Diaz-Balart stepped down as anchor of the weeknight editions of Noticias Telemundo. He is currently anchoring a n ...
(Saturdays, August 2016—present, Sundays, fill-in anchor, April 12, 2020—present)


Announcer

Bill Hanrahan William A. Hanrahan (September 14, 1918 – August 7, 1996) was an American radio and television announcer, perhaps best known as the "Voice of NBC News." Hanrahan's broadcasting career dated back to the 1940s, when he worked at WELI radio in New H ...
handled the announcing duties for the newscast until his retirement in 1983, as he had done for the predecessor ''Huntley-Brinkley Report''. The next announcer for the program was long-time
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
staff announcer
Howard Reig Howard Reig (May 31, 1921 – November 10, 2008)Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in 2005, but a recording he had made before his retirement was used on the program until December 14, 2007. When the show was broadcast on remote or a new substitute anchor was used, Reig recorded a new introduction in a
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
studio. Since Holt took over as anchor, the weekend editions have been voiced by Bill Wolff, who had also worked occasionally on special weekday editions when Reig was unavailable. On December 17, 2007, the weeknight broadcast introduced an opening by
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winning actor/producer
Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
until it was discontinued on June 18, 2015 and was replaced by Wolff.


Theme music/Intros

* "Huntley-Brinkley Report/NBC Nightly News Ticker" (August 3, 1970 – November 10, 1972; the theme had been used since 1962, when the program was still ''
The Huntley-Brinkley Report ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'') * "NBC News Ticker" (November 13, 1972 – April 22, 1977) * "NBC TV-Radio Newspulse" by Fred Weinberg Productions (April 25, 1977 – September 5, 1977) * "NBC Nightly News" by
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
(September 6, 1977 – June 29, 1979) * "NBC News" by Joseph Paul Sicurella, Tony Smythe, and Bob Christianson (1979–1985) ** Original version (July 2, 1979 - April 2, 1982) ** Electronic version (April 5, 1982 – September 6, 1985) * " The Mission" by
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
(September 9, 1985 – Present) From late 2007 through 2012, the intro commenced with a timeline showing the different NBC News anchors and logos whilst the show's theme song plays followed by showing the NBC News' filming station in New York (It does not appear when telecasts are filmed in other areas like Washington). From 2012 through 2016, the intro was different pictures of the earth which formed into the NBC News' filming station in New York.


Notable incidents

In September 2001, a letter containing anthrax was addressed to then ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Tom Brokaw as part of the
2001 anthrax attacks The 2001 anthrax attacks, also known as Amerithrax (a portmanteau of "America" and "anthrax", from its FBI case name), occurred in the United States over the course of several weeks beginning on September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 ...
. Brokaw was not harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected. On April 18, 2007, NBC News received a package containing a " multimedia manifesto" from
Seung-Hui Cho Seung-Hui Cho (, properly Cho Seung-hui; January 18, 1984 – April 16, 2007) was a Korean-born mass murderer responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. Cho killed 32 people and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols on Apr ...
, the gunman responsible for the
Virginia Tech shooting The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. Seung-Hui Cho, an u ...
that occurred two days earlier, the deadliest
school shooting A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple c ...
in American history. Upon the package's discovery, NBC News handed the package over to federal authorities. The specific details of the package contained a
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
disc of Cho reading from a typed manifesto (also in the package), as well as more than 40 pictures of Cho brandishing weapons, including the two handguns believed to have been used in the massacre. Some of the package's contents were shown, albeit copied from the originals and edited for
profanity Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...
, on the April 18, 2007 edition of ''NBC Nightly News'', with anchor Brian Williams and NBC chief justice correspondent Pete Williams (no relation to Brian) examining the package's contents in the opening moments of the broadcast. On November 29, 2011, a
fire alarm A fire alarm system warns people when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other fire-related or general notification emergency, emergencies are detected. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors and heat detectors or may also ...
went off in the studio a few seconds into the ''Nightly News'' Eastern Time Zone broadcast. Despite the false alarm, Brian Williams continued to anchor throughout the entire broadcast. Once the alarm had been turned off, Williams redid the broadcast for the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones, and other select stations. NBC News apologized for the incident on the program's
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account:


International broadcast


Ongoing


Canada

NBC's Seattle, Detroit, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Boston, and Burlington affiliates are separately available through most Canadian cable companies. Because of their markets proximity to the Canadian border, NBC affiliates
WDIV WDIV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the Flagship (broadcasting), flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings, Graham ...
,
WGRZ WGRZ (channel 2) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill ...
, and
WPBN WPBN-TV (channel 7) is a television station licensed to Traverse City, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper peninsulas of Michiga ...
(through WGTQ's HD2 channel) air live broadcasts of ''NBC Nightly News'' without cable.


Caribbean

The Antillean, Cayman, and some of the Leeward islands air live episodes of NBC Nightly News through Miami-based NBC affiliate
WTVJ WTVJ (channel 6) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV (ch ...
, which is carried by cable provider FLOW TV as part of their lineup.


Europe/MENA

In Great Britain, ''NBC Nightly News'' is broadcast on NBC News Now, a channel provided by
Sky UK Sky UK Limited is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television and broadband Internet services, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of ...
because of its affiliation with
Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
. For the rest of Europe, ''NBC Nightly News'' is broadcast live on
CNBC Europe Consumer News and Business Channel Europe (referred to on air simply as CNBC) is a business and financial news television channel which airs across Europe. The station is based in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith (architect), Adrian S ...
at 12:30 AM CET (11:30 PM
GMT Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a cons ...
and 10:30 PM during DST respectively). It also airs on the 24-hour news network
OSN News OSN News is a 24-hour satellite channel offering exclusively American news programming from NBC, and MSNBC to U.S. expatriates, primarily geared towards an audience in the Arab countries. The channel is available on OSN Network in Middle East ...
in
MENA MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
Region, with the weekday editions airing immediately after their original telecast in the U.S. and the weekend edition being simulcast live.


Hong Kong

In
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, the program is broadcast live (or delayed) on
TVB Pearl TVB Pearl is a terrestrial television channel in Hong Kong owned by Television Broadcasts Limited. Established on 19 November 1967, it shares headquarters with TVB's other properties at TVB City at 77 Chun Choi Street in Tseung Kwan O Industr ...
daily at 7:30 AM
Hong Kong Time Hong Kong Time (abbreviation: HKT; ) is the time in Hong Kong, observed at UTC+08:00 all year round. The Hong Kong Observatory is the official timekeeper of the Hong Kong Time. It is indicated as Asia/Hong_Kong in the IANA time zone database. ...
(corresponding to 18:30, or 6:30 PM, in the Eastern Time Zone of the U.S.).


Philippines

In the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, ''NBC Nightly News'' returned on Philippine cable and satellite TV starting January 1, 2021, broadcast live daily at 7:30 AM (or 6:30 AM during daylight saving time in the US) on
TAP Edge TAP Edge (stylized as tap EDGE) is a 24-hour Philippine pay television channel owned by TAP Digital Media Ventures Corporation. The channel airs a variety of entertainment genres focusing on action/suspense and crime dramas. History Prior to t ...
. Starting October 26, 2021, broadcasts of the program were moved to sister channel
TAP TV TAP TV (stylized as tap TV) is a 24-hour Philippine pay television channel owned by TAP Digital Media Ventures Corporation. It is launched on April 14, 2019. A former sports channel, it currently broadcasts as a general entertainment channel ...
(However, the program will be pre-empted on the other days to give way for the live coverage of
ISU Figure Skating Championships The International Skating Union organizes six annual Championships for figure skating. It is at the discretion of each member country which skaters, pairs or synchronized skating teams are sent to which championship. No skater in men's single ska ...
events).


US Armed Forces

''NBC Nightly News'' is broadcast on AFN, news, a channel that is available to several American military bases and ships around the world through the
American Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...
.


Discontinued


Philippines

In the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, ''NBC Nightly News'' was aired Mondays through Fridays at 8:30 AM (after '' Daybreak''), Saturdays at 9:00 AM and Sundays at 10:00 AM local time; it is also rebroadcast at 5:30 PM each weeknight, 1:30 PM on Saturdays, 4:30 AM on Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10:00 PM on Sundays and daily at 1:30 AM
local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
on
9TV 9TV (formerly branded as Solar News Channel) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines. It was owned by Nine Media Corporation, Nine Media had an airtime agreement as the main content provider of Radio Philippines Network. 9 ...
(formerly as Talk TV and
Solar News Channel Solar News Channel (SNC) was a major commercial television network in the Philippines, owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation's arm television subsidiary of Solar Television Network lease with its owner by Radio Philippines Network. Its flags ...
). The newscast was discontinued in February 2015 as a part of transitory preparations as 9TV eventually re-branded to
CNN Philippines CNN Philippines (abbreviated as CNN PH) is a commercial broadcast, cable and satellite television network in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by Nine Media Corporation, together with Radio Philippines Network (RPN) as the main content ...
on March 16, 2015.


Bermuda

The East Coast feed of the program was broadcast in
Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...
on local NBC affiliate
VSB-TV VSB-TV (channel 11) was a television station in Hamilton, Bermuda, which served the British territory as an affiliate of the American network NBC. The station was owned by the DeFontes Group, a Bermuda-based company which also owned and operated r ...
in the British Overseas Territory; the station ceased broadcasting on August 31, 2014. Access to the programme in the Bahamas remains through cable feeds of WNBC/New York or
WTVJ WTVJ (channel 6) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Fort Lauderdale–licensed WSCV (ch ...
/
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.


Video-on-demand

''NBC Nightly News'' is also available worldwide as an audio
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
, and can be
streamed Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on demand On-demand or on demand may refer to: Manufacturing * Build-on-demand * Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production * Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until an ...
from the NBC News website the night of its original broadcast after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Beginning with the March 27, 2018 broadcast, ''Nightly News'' broadcasts have also started appearing on NBC News's YouTube channel. On January 25, 2015, NBC began indicating that the video podcast of the program would be discontinued and refers users to the news division's website or
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
s to view editions of ''Nightly News'' on mobile devices, although such apps are not compatible with devices that feature podcast support such as early generation
Apple TV An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
or
Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services. The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduce ...
devices (current-gen devices offer access to an NBC News app with newscast replays). The video podcast was discontinued on February 14, 2015.


See also

*
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...


Notes


References


External links

*
''NBC Nightly News'' Audio Podcast
* {{NBCNetwork Shows (current and upcoming) 1970 American television series debuts 1980s American television news shows 1990s American television news shows 2000s American television news shows 2010s American television news shows English-language television shows NBC original programming NBC News Super Bowl lead-out shows Flagship evening news shows Television shows filmed in New York City